PORT LUDLOW — Firefighters from agencies across the North Olympic Peninsula recently got a jump on fire season by participating in wildland fire training in Port Ludlow.
Firefighters from Port Ludlow Fire &Rescue, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, Quilcene Fire &Rescue, Brinnon Fire Department, Discovery Bay Fire Department, Clallam Fire District 2 and Clallam Fire District 3 participated in the daylong training on the closed Trail Nine at the Port Ludlow Golf Course on Saturday.
Area firefighters trained alongside personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), U.S. Forest Service and Olympic National Park to test the skills needed for wildland fires.
The inter-agency training is meant to help build trust between the agencies that come together to fight a wildfire, according to DNR.
“It’s not actually required,” said Bill Beezley, the public information officer for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue (EJFR). “It’s an optional training for us.”
During Saturday’s training, 10 firefighters earned their Red Cards, which certifies them to respond to wildland fires.
According to Beezley, not all EJFR firefighters are certified, but one received his Red Card for the first time Saturday, along with two firefighters from Port Ludlow, two from Brinnon, two from Quilcene, two from Fire District 2 and one from Fire District 3.
Firefighters were tested on such skills as securing a water supply, using portable pumps, fire line construction, entrapment avoidance and fire shelter deployment.
“It’s good for us since we know we can send fully trained and qualified people out to help,” Beezley said. “Should we have a wildfire here, we also now know we’re not going to have to be dependent on bringing in outside firefighters.”
Beezley said most Peninsula fires are usually small. The last large fire outside Olympic National Park was the Beckett Point fire in 2011, which burned 30 acres and cost $100,000 to fight.
“In that case, we worked with DNR wildland firefighters,” Beezley said.
However, EJFR has sent wildland-certified firefighters to eastern and central Washington to help with large fires.
The fire forecast for the state this year is lower than last summer, according to a news release from Keppie Keplinger, public information officer for Port Ludlow Fire &Rescue.
A webinar published earlier this month by the Northwest Fire Science Consortium said a larger snowpack, more rain and lower temperatures could mean a lower fire danger than last summer.
Fires are more likely to pop up in late summer and early fall after local forests have had some time to dry out, the consortium said.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
